How Facebook Changed the World: The Arab Spring (2-part series - Enhanced DVD)

In a countries where the government controls the mass media, the television programs, and even the news is censored, and the newspapers only report those things permitted under the rules of censorship, this is the story of how a populist movement amasses hundreds of thousands of protesters in a fortnight and keeps them informed about the efforts to change the political system.

In the massive political uprising called the Arab spring, Facebook, blogging, and updates on Twitter all played a key role in helping the people communicate and mobilize their combined efforts. This force was unstoppable. Even though repressive regimes attempted to shut down the communication systems, the Internet communication was so widespread and resilient that there was no way to stop the news spreading about the insurrection.

The word was out and the people took the battle to the streets. This documentary film shows how the technology and communication possible using social media like Facebook, shifted the balance of power from government censorship into the hands of the populist movements in more than one Arab country. As protesting efforts occurred, the information about the activities spread like wildfire and Facebook became the hub connecting all the people to each other that expanded even across country boundaries.

Everyone wanted to get in on the action, and the crowds became immense. The youth of these countries had enough repression from the leaders they hated, and they mobilized with demonstrations of immense civil disobedience to overthrow the corrupt governments. This was a huge success. Governments previously seen as infallible faced an inability to rule as before. This is a two-part series produced by the BBC that documents what happened.

How Facebook Changed the World: The Arab Spring

• Enhanced DVD
• ISBN: 978-1-61753-316-7
• Run Time: 100 Minutes
• Copyright Date: 2011
• CC